06/09/2022
Depends on what you mean by working. It would be amazing if there was a universal sign that you were officially reaping the benefits of meditation, but that’s not how it goes. “Meditation isn’t prescription,” says Winston. “It’s not like ‘If you meditate this amount of time for this number of days, you will see this result.’ Our minds are very individual.”
Because of that, a lot of people give up without giving meditation a fair shot. Winston recommends two main things when it comes to judging whether or not meditation is working for you: checking in with yourself and sticking it out for a while. “Don’t try it once. Try it over time and then investigate how you’re feeling,” says Winston. “Is it benefiting me? Am I seeing the effects? Am I noticing that I'm a little bit calmer? Am I being a little bit kinder to myself and to others? Am I sleeping better? Am I enjoying having these small moments?”
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All that said, though, if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. Mindfulness meditation has been pushed as some universal habit that everyone will benefit from and it’s easy to blame yourself if you’re not feeling it. Let go of those expectations. “Mindfulness meditation is not for everybody,” says Winston. “It’s extremely helpful for some people, but not at all for others.”
If you don’t know when to call it, Winston recommends giving it six weeks or so, based on her experience teaching students over the years, including through a six-week program. It’s by no means a magic number, but it’s long enough that you’ll probably get a sense of how you like meditation and how it’s working for you.
Also, remember: There are all sorts of types of meditation. If mindfulness meditation doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to swear off meditation in general. It might just be you haven’t found the right fit yet. Maybe movement meditation is more your speed. Or maybe you’d connect with mantra meditation. Or healing meditation. Or something else entirely. It’s worth a shot, right?
